


Scavenger Hunt

by Moontyger



Category: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun | A Certain Scientific Railgun
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-29
Updated: 2013-04-29
Packaged: 2017-12-09 23:03:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/778977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moontyger/pseuds/Moontyger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a city-wide scavenger hunt in Academy City!  But no abilities are allowed?  Can these four girls win without them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scavenger Hunt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gramarye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gramarye/gifts).



“Hey, did you hear?” Ruiko burst through the door of Judgment's 177th office, clearly excited.

Konori-senpai fixed her with a quelling look, but she didn't even notice; her eyes were all for Uiharu, who turned her head to look over at her cautiously, clearly expecting trouble. “What is it, Saten-san?”

“There's going to be a city-wide scavenger hunt!”

“A city-wide scavenger hunt? Where did you hear about that?”

“Oh, well. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but I saw it online. You can sign up in teams of four. Shirai-san, do you and Misaka-san want to be on our team?”

Shirai hesitated, but Uiharu turned to her, too. “Oh, please come with us! It'll be fun!”

“I'll ask Misaka-san. But she might be busy.”

But by now, Ruiko knew Misaka-san better than that. Shirai-san might hesitate, but Misaka loved this sort of thing. If it was up to her, they were definitely in.

“Oh! I almost forgot the most important part!” She flashed a grin, knowing that this would be the hardest part for both Tokiwadai students. “No abilities allowed.”

“No abilities?” Uiharu and Shirai-san said it together and they both seemed shocked, but in different ways. Uiharu seemed intrigued, while Shirai-san looked almost appalled.

“Why would they do something like that?” Uiharu turned to her computer and began typing, already looking for her answer in her accustomed manner. She might ask Ruiko, but she was the type of person who liked to check things for herself.

“Hmm...” Ruiko paused, raising one hand to her mouth and chewing her thumb thoughtfully while she considered the question. Truthfully, she'd been so excited about the idea that she hadn't paused to consider the reason for such a rule. But now that they'd mentioned it, it did seem strange. Academy City was all about abilities, after all. Even Daihaseisai, the sports festival, allowed them.

In the end, she gave up and shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe they're testing something? This is Academy City, after all.” A city where the students who made up the majority of the population were always tested, both in and out of school. They were students, but they were also research subjects. If they hadn't realized it before, the incident with Level Upper made that fact all too clear. But if this were an experiment, it seemed far more benign than that one.

“Or maybe they just wanted to let everyone participate equally. If abilities were allowed, someone like Shirai-san could finish before the rest of us even found the first item.” The words might have been bitter from someone else, but Ruiko said them without rancor. It was true that she wished she had an ability, that she were more than a level 0. But she didn't blame Shirai-san or anyone else for succeeding where she had failed. They hadn't stolen from her or cheated. It had just happened that way. 

But that didn't mean she couldn't rub it in just a little, now that the shoe was on the other foot. So she grinned again and asked, “You'll still do it, won't you? You don't need you abilities to win, right?”

Shirai-san sniffed and tossed her ponytails in that way she sometimes had, the one that reminded Ruiko of Tokiwadai's reputation as a school for rich girls. “Of course I don't!”

“Then it's settled.”

* * *

It was another week before it was formally announced, but Ruiko never once considered that it might not happen. Sure, her fondness for rumors had sometimes gotten her into trouble, but this one was pretty normal. They'd just had a little advance notice.

Because Academy City was so large, registration was online and each team's list would be sent to the phone of the team leader the morning of the scavenger hunt.

Uiharu registered them on the first day. Much to Ruiko's surprise, everyone agreed she should be the team leader.

“Me? Shouldn't it be Misaka-san?” Of course she was honored that they'd consider declaring her team leader, but she wasn't the famous one. She wasn't a level five. She didn't even go to an elite school or belong to Judgment or anything. 

Misaka-san shook her head and smiled. “No, not at all. You were the one to tell us all about it. Of course it should be you.”

Ruiko still felt doubtful. No matter what they said, she didn't really see herself as a leader. But it was just a scavenger hunt. What could it hurt? “Well, all right.”

* * *

When the list arrived, it was seven o'clock on a Saturday morning, but Ruiko was already awake. She'd been too excited to sleep much and had given up a few hours ago. Sure, this sort of thing was probably old hat for Tokiwadai students, but Ruiko's school didn't participate in Daihaseisai. For her and Uiharu, this was probably their only chance to compete on a somewhat equal field with everyone else.

She looked over the list, then sent it to the others and started to get dressed. They were meeting in an hour, after breakfast, so she tried to eat, but didn't really manage much. That was okay, though. They'd be running all over the city anyway; there would probably be plenty of places she could pick up food while they were out.

Ruiko expected to be the first one there, but of course she wasn't. Uiharu was already sitting on a bench, looking down at her phone with a serious expression. She didn't really think it was due to excitement, more that Uiharu hated to be late to anything. If she were late, she was inconveniencing others and she was too sweet to want to do that.

“Ui-harrr-uuu!” She called out and waved, still grinning even in the face of Uiharu's more serious expression. Ruiko wished she would smile, but she'd anticipated this reaction once she'd seen their list.

“Saten-san, good morning!”

Ruiko dropped onto the bench beside her, but she was too excited to sit still, so she bounced to her feet again, glancing around every few seconds for the other two.

Her efforts to spot them beforehand were thwarted, however, as they teleported in, Shirai-san's arm around a struggling Misaka-san's waist. It wasn't their usual method of arrival, but she supposed Shirai-san had wanted to get it in early, since she wouldn't be able to use her ability later.

Ruiko refused to be bothered by their sudden appearance. She'd been looking forward to this too much to be thrown off. “Good morning, Shirai-san, Misaka-san. Have you looked over the list?”

She'd asked the other two, but it was Uiharu who answered. “Yes, and there's an issue. It says here that we're to get a traffic cone. But those are for public safety! We can't just take one!”

Ruiko had been prepared for this. Uiharu and Shirai-san both took their duties for Judgment very seriously; she knew they wouldn't want to take something like that. If she thought it really was a danger, of course she'd agree, but maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. After all, everyone had different lists. “Will it really be so bad if just one goes missing? Maybe we can rearrange the others, so there isn't a gap.”

“But what if more people take them? One might not be an issue, but too many more and people could be in danger.”

“Well...” Ruiko paused to think and Misaka-san took the opportunity to jump in.

“We'll get that last. By the time we get there, we'll see if it's safe to take one. Come on, let's get started!”

“I brought the first item with me.” Ruiko produced the windchime from her bag. “I had one already, so when I saw it on the list, I thought I'd save us time by bringing it.”

“Great! What's next?” Just as she'd expected, Misaka-san was totally into it. She wasn't stuck up at all, not at all like Ruiko had expected from a level five, but she was very competitive. 

“Let's see.” Uiharu pulled out her phone and studied the list carefully, automatically taking on her usual role as the source of information. “We need a potted plant. I wouldn't want to just take someone's plant, but there's a store that sells them not far from here.”

“Then let's go.” Together, the four girls ran off, eager to get started and hoping to win.

* * *

While the items on the list were sometimes strange, most of them were fairly easily obtained, particularly with Uiharu and Shirai-san's knowledge of the city. Ruiko had no interest in joining Judgment, but she had to admit some of the training seemed useful.

At last, they had only two items left: the traffic cone and one other.

Frowning, she stared at her phone and tried to think. “A hat? Do you know anyone who wears a hat?”

Everyone shook their heads, as much at a loss as she was. Who wore hats these days?

“Um... maybe we can go around and ask?” Uiharu seemed hesitant and it certainly wasn't the best plan, but none of them could think of anything better.

“I don't even know of any shops that sell them.”

Ruiko had begun to think they'd have to give up on the hat when she spotted it. “Up there – on top of that wall.” She pointed to the black object sitting there, seemingly abandoned. “Isn't that a hat?”

The others stopped and stared, Misaka-san shading her eyes with her hand. “I think it is. But what is a hat doing way up there?”

It was a good question, but one none of them had an answer to. 

“Maybe the organizers put it there,” Uiharu suggested. “Maybe every team has an item they personally placed.”

Shirai-san narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “More importantly, how are we going to get up there?”

Silently, they all regarded it again. Ruiko was sure she knew what the the two Tokiwadai students were thinking. With their abilities, it would be easy for either one of them to get the hat. But she was also certain that they wouldn't cheat.

It was probably easier for her to think of a solution. After all, she was used to having to think of ways to be useful despite being a level 0. She walked to the wall and knelt down, glad she was wearing pants instead of a skirt, so her knees were protected from the pavement.

“Uiharu, come over here and climb on my shoulders.”

“W-what? Oh... all right.”

Uiharu was the shortest, but she was also the lightest and the easiest for Ruiko to support. Holding onto the wall, she got onto Ruiko's back, then adjusted so she was sitting on her shoulders.

“I'm going to stand up now, so hold on.”

Slowly, she made her way to her feet and stepped closer to the wall. “Can you reach it?”

“I'm sorry, Saten-san. I can't.”

“Do you think you can stand up? Maybe you could reach it then?”

Uiharu hesitated; she had never been very athletic. She'd even had to do supplementary Judgment training to try to make up for it. “... I'll try.”

“Use the wall to help balance,” Misaka-san suggested.

Leaning heavily on it, hands clutching at the bricks for dear life, Uiharu got to her feet with aching slowness. Or maybe it just seemed that way to Ruiko, who was trying hard to hold perfectly still the whole time. Once she finally made it, Uiharu leaned forward, stretching precariously as she reached for the hat.

Ruiko glanced upward, watching her, and couldn't quite keep from grinning. _Yellow roses today, huh?_ She started to say something, even though she knew it was a bad time, but she barely had her mouth open when someone ran into her and she lost her balance, words lost in a shriek of surprise.

Gracelessly, she sprawled on the pavement, but once again, her only thought was for Uiharu. Luckily, Shirai-san had caught her with her ability, so she was perfectly fine. Even better, she had the hat clutched in her fingers.

“Oh! I'm so sorry!”

Ruiko pushed herself back into a sitting position and looked up. “Tessou-sensei? Ah, Yomikawa-sensei and Tsukuyomi-sensei, too.”

Tessou-sensei was blushing bright red, but she managed to smile just the same. “Are you all right?”

Dusting herself off, Ruiko got to her feet. “I'm fine.”

“Are you in the scavenger hunt, too?” Misaka-san asked and, now that she mentioned it, Ruiko noticed Tsukuyomi-sensei was carrying a bag that appeared to be full of unusual items.

“That's right,” Yomikawa-sensei answered. “And that's why we have to run.”

“Oh, of course. Good luck!” They waved as their teachers ran off, Tessou-sensei trailing a little behind and glancing back at them.

“Good luck!” she called out.

“Work hard,” Yomikawa-sensei added, though she was already far enough ahead that her words were almost lost in the noise of the city.

“Now there's just the traffic cone left,” Misaka-san said, focused on the game now that everyone was uninjured. Ruiko supposed that focus was part of what made her a level 5. As she nodded, she remembered the way Yomikawa-sensei had pushed her, urging one more lap over and over. Yes, it must take something like that.

“I'm still not sure this is a good idea,” Uiharu protested, and Shirai-san agreed.

“We could skip it,” Ruiko suggested and was then surprised by the looks she got at the suggestion. “We might not win without it, but that's how these work. You can't always get everything on the list.”

“No.” Misaka-san shook her head. “We'll get it. And as soon as we get credit for it, Kuroko can bring it back.”

If someone else had suggested it, Shirai-san might have argued, but since it was Misaka, she instead agreed eagerly.

The end in sight and finally agreed on a plan, they ran off to get their final item.

* * *

Shirai-san groaned, head down on the table, buried in her folded arms. “All that, and we didn't even win?”

“You shouldn't be so surprised,” Misaka-san pointed out. “With teachers competing, it's not so unusual that they might win.”

“Especially with Yomikawa-sensei on their team,” Ruiko added. Really, once she'd seen that, she should have know. Yomikawa-sensei might not have abilities of her own, but she had the benefit of both Anti-skill training and her own almost legendary determination and competitiveness.

“I wonder,” Uiharu said thoughtfully, spoon pausing in the depths of her parfait glass, “if the teachers were the organizers?”

Ruiko hadn't devoted much thought to who might have organized it, even after their initial conversation about the event. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Uiharu went on to explain, “you said it might be an experiment. But what if instead, it was a lesson?”

“A lesson...” Misaka-san looked thoughtful. “What kind of lesson?”

Shirai-san looked up now, too, too interested to continue bemoaning their loss. “Some students don't respect the teachers,” she pointed out. “They don't see why they, with their abilities, should have to respect teachers who aren't espers themselves.” 

Somewhere else, Ruiko might have been shocked by such disrespect, but here, she wasn't surprised to hear it at all. Students at her and Uiharu's school didn't tend to be like that, but they were mostly not very powerful.

It was just another aspect of Academy City's central problem, really: the tension between the successful espers and the 60% of the population who were level zeroes, like herself. Not everyone considered level zeroes useless, but it was a common enough sentiment to be both well known and resented.

“But if they wanted that, wouldn't it have been better to allow abilities? To prove they could beat their students even if they used them?” She hadn't meant to say it; she'd just been thinking aloud.

“Maybe that was a lesson, too,” Shirai-san offered. “Maybe they want us to learn to work without them, so they aren't a crutch.”

They fell silent, considering it.

Finally, Ruiko spoke up, dismissing the serious topic with a shrug. “It doesn't really matter who organized it or why,” she said. “It was fun.”

And on that, they could all agree.

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that there is actually a canon scavenger hunt as part of Daihaseisai. This completely made up one is separate from that. It is a one time event, open to non-students, and takes place during the summer.


End file.
